Tarija

Pre-Inca era

Traditional history holds that the Tomatas were the indigenous population of the valley of Tarija prior to Spanish conquest, but some documents suggest that early Spanish conquereors encountered Tomatas in the Cinti region of Bolivia, in particular around San Juan del Oro River, and brought them to Tarija.^[4]

The prior to Inca rule the valley of Tarija was mainly inhabited by Churumatas and Moyos Moyos.^[5]

Inca period

The Inca Empire – administered by the Quechua civilization – conquered the land and dispersed the Churumatas and other local groups over wide territories of the Andes. Mitimaes is the Quechuan name that the Incas used for the resisting ethnic groups they uprooted and then dispersed geographically. The Tomatas are thought to have been brought to San Juan del Oro River in the vicinities of Tarija from Norte Chico, Chile.^[6] The Tomatas appear to have given place names from their old lands to their new area of settlement thus explaining the existence of "Chilean" place names such as Loa, Calama, and Erqui (Elqui) in Bolivia.^[6]

In contrast, the native Churumatas were dispersed into what is today Chile and Argentina as mitmas to garrison Inca fortresses during Topa Inca Yupanqui's conquest of Collasuyu in the 1470s.^[4]

When the Spanish first arrived to the valley of Tarija they encountered several stone roads, most likely the remnants of pre-Incaic cultures, such as that of the Churumatas. However, during that period, the presence of indigenous peoples remained sparse within the valley. Several of the pre-Incaic roads and trails have been preserved, and currently function as a walking trail for Tarijeños.^{[citation needed]}

Spanish arrival

The first Spanish expedition to reach Tarija was that of Pedro de Candia who came with 200 men and stayed in the area from September 1539 to February 1540.^[5] Other expeditions arrived to the valley of Tarija in 1540 and 1548 and first permanent Spanish settlement was finally established in the 1570s as the city of Tarija.^[5] Soon after the Spanish contacts in the late 1530s and 1540s the "Suares" tribe in Tarija Valley fled to Paiquito which appear to have been their homeland. Historical records mention they fled the "Chiriguanae", but an alternative interpretation is that this was a mere excuse to flee an area that was being settled by the Spanish and that they preferred to endure Spanish rule in their homeland than in Tarija.^[5] Therefore before the establishment of the Spanish city of Tarija the area was largely depopulated.^[5] To resettle the area in 1574 conquistador Luis de Fuentes brought Tomatas from San Juan del Oro River to the area of Tarija.^[6]

For long time a frontier existed east of Tarija in southeastern Bolivia.^[7][8] Starting in the late 16th century the Spanish saw the tribes inhabiting the eastern jungles, and the "Chiriguanos" in particular, as a threat.^[7]

In colonial times Franciscans planted the first vines in Tarija.^[9]

Bolivian era

In 1826 the citizens of Tarija voted to become part of Bolivia. In 1807, Tarija had become separated from Upper Peru to become part of the jurisdiction of Salta (part of Argentina), but because of its close ties to what became Bolivia, it returned to its original jurisdiction.^[10] In 1899, Argentina renounced its claims in exchange for the Puna de Atacama.